The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast

Apr 29 2024 2

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast artwork

Welcome to The Gymnast Nutritionist® podcast, a free resource for gymnast, parents, and coaches to learn to fuel the gymnast optimal performance and longevity int he sport. Christina Anderson MS, RDN, CSP, CSSD is a board certified pediatric/adolescent registered dietitian nutritionist, former gymnast, and current nationally rated gymnastics judge. She helps gymnasts and their parents take a proactive approach to fueling, without the stress or overwhelm. This podcast is all #realtalk where she tackles tough subjects about nutrition, body image, and more in the sport of gymnastics.

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Episode 96: Upgrade Season Part 2- Is your gymnast "unsafe" to do gymnastics?

Apr 29 2024 18 mins

Is your gymnast unsafe to do gymnastics? When I first heard this concept years ago I was shocked. It had never dawned on me that nutrition was “that serious” re: safety concern in terms of your kid going to the gym. But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. Especially if you’re a parent, coach, or gym owner. The reality is that gymnastics has a lot more inhere

Episode 95: Upgrade Season Part 1- Your gymnast didn’t “make it”…now what?

Apr 22 2024 24 mins

For most gymnasts, competition season has or is coming to a close and upgrade season is starting. But why didn’t your gymnast make it to insert…regionals, Nationals, etc?There’s a LOT you can’t control. What region your gymnast is in, what age group, session times etc. Gymnasts spend months preparing for these big meets but there is a lot that is just out of their control.

Episode 94: Does Gymnastics Stunt Growth?

Apr 15 2024 24 mins

Does gymnastics stunt growth? It's quite the hot topic and many people weigh in with their own opinions. We've even heard conflicting opinions from medical providers. It's such a big question that it's actually been investigated and researched quite a bit in the past few decades by some heavy hitters such as the International Gymnastics Federation.Some providers

Episode 93: Navigating Gymnast Nutrition and Picky Eating

Apr 08 2024 25 mins

I know so many parents who struggle with their gymnast's nutrition due to picky eating. They know their athlete needs to fuel more, but there's so much push back it feels like a no-win situation. In today's episode, I'm breaking down what it means to truly have a picky eater versus dealing with a gymnast who demonstrates finicky eating habits. And what you can d

Episode 92: Gymnast Nutrition and Strength Training with Dr. Stacie Barber PT, DPT, CSCS

Apr 01 2024 53 mins

I know so many struggling gymnasts who think they need to double down on strength training/conditioning at this point of the season, but have never addressed their nutrition. So then they're left wondering why they can't get stronger, faster, or more powerful no matter how much extra conditioning they do. Or maybe they're injured and season is over but they're s

Episode 91: The Science behind our approach to Fueling Gymnasts

Mar 25 2024 25 mins

I was asked an interesting question this month about our approach in The Balanced Gymnast® Program. And I found it so compelling, I answered in podcast form! So, today I'm discussing the how and why we use a science/research-backed approach to fueling gymnasts. And why that means it's not a one size fits all answer.In today's episode, I'm pulling back the curta

Episode 90: Should your gymnast eat CANDY during a competition!?

Mar 18 2024 23 mins

Gymnasts and candy don't usually go together, right? Usually we hear about gymnasts avoiding candy at all costs, especially competitions, to prevent blood sugar crashes. Or parents feel like their kid is already addicted to sugar so why would they ever offer candy to their gymnast? This is a hot topic and I'm diving in as to why there might be situations where I recommend

Episode 89: When we focus on weight vs performance for gymnasts

Mar 11 2024 33 mins

When we focus on weight vs performance for gymnasts, most will never quite reach their full potential. Sad but something we see over and over in young elite gymnasts with all the potential in the world but who have to quit due to injury or burnout. When we focus on performance and take the focus off the scale, we can focus on properly fueling our gymnasts. And today I'm talki

Episode 88: Will your gymnast get results from The Balanced Gymnast® Program?

Mar 04 2024 23 mins

Have you thought about joining The Balanced Gymnast® Program but not sure what kind of results your gymnast will get?We just wrapped up our three-day Fueled and Focused Challenge, and during one of our Q+A sessions, I had a parent ask a very insightful question. And that was, "what kind of results can my gymnast get from The Balanced Gymnast® Program?"We know that this

Episode 87: The Magic that Happens When Nutrition "Clicks" for your Gymnast [Gymnast INTERVIEW]

Feb 26 2024 59 mins

In this episode you'll hear from one of The Balanced Gymnast® Program alumni Lundyn VanderToolen and her mom Julie about their nutrition journey with us over the past few months. Lundyn went from stuck, struggling, and exhausted this fall to scoring her highest AA EVER and qualifying for the Nastia Liukin Cup in her senior level 10 season. If you don't know, the Nastia L